NATURE CLICKS #588 - GREAT BLUE HERON

Great Blue Heron, Spring Lake, Petoskey, Michigan

Here is another photo of the same Great Blue Heron as in the last blog post. It was made a little later and from a different position. The bird had just caught a bullhead and tried to swallow it. This needs to be done in a smart way because the bullhead has sharp spines at the leading edges of the dorsal and pectoral fins. It took the heron quite some time to ”prepare” the fish but at the end the little catfish ended up in the herons stomach.

In this photo the background had some light and made actually for a good environmental portrait of the bird, including some water plants and reeds. There was a nice spot light on the bird’s head, not as harsh as before, and an underexposure by one f-stop was enough to keep the highlights intact.

NATURE CLICKS #587 - GREAT BLUE HERON

Great Blue Heron, Spring Lake, Petoskey, Michigan

A board walk gave us access to a small pond and wetland area near the town of Petoskey, Michigan. We approached the bird very slowly, assuming it would fly away any moment, but the heron had only the hunt for fish on its mind. It was all what I was hoping for with the new Nikon Z600 f/6.3, handholding the lens without struggle and coming back with a high keeper rate of sharp images. The background was very busy, with lots of dead wood and reeds. The bright parts of the bird’s plumage required underexposure by 2 f-stops and this solved the problem with the background.

ONLY IN THE SPRING

Chipping Sparrow braving the rain

There are certain photos that we can make only in early spring. It’s not just about the usual arrival of several birds from the south during the last week of April, but also about a certain quality of light at this time of the year, the still open space between branches in the trees, and the color that is added by the lush green of the first leaves that pop out. Not to forget that most birds look at their best during mating season.

After all the thunderstorms that hit the Midwest we had a rainy Sunday and the muted light made for some nice photography in the front yard. This male Chipping Sparrow didn’t hide from the rain and watched a female below. Most of the time they can be seen together foraging on the ground. Having the bird on an oak branch with fresh leaves makes for a much better picture than just sparrows in the grass.

House Wren

Currently two House Wrens sing their heart out near any potential nesting site in the yard, starting already early in the morning. They both hope to attract a female at some point in time but I think the ladies aren’t even here yet. At least I haven’t seen one today. The House Wrens perch often on a solitary branch or stick and make it easy for the photographer to find a background that isn’t distracting from the bird.

All photos: Nikon Z6II, Nikon FTZ adapter, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S, Sigma APO Teleconverter 1.4x EX DG, Induro GIT 404XL tripod, Induro GHB2 gimbal head, Westscott FJ80 II speed light, Westscott Magnetic diffusion dome @850 mm

NATURE CLICKS #561 - UPLAND SANDPIPER

Upland Sandpiper, Badlands, South Dakota

The Upland Sandpiper is considered the ”shorebird of the prairie”. Most of other sandpiper species are usually found near water, this species calls the grasslands its home. I found this bird just outside the border of Badlands National Park. It had rained the day before my arrival in the area. The fence post the bird was perched on was next to a water filled ditch along Conata Road, a gravel road that cuts for fifteen miles through the grasslands of Conata Basin south of the national park. This road has been a good spot for bird watching and photography for me during spring time in the last couple years and it didn’t disappoint this year either. Upland Sandpipers spend the winters down in South America and even there they prefer the pampas and grassy areas of pastures and fields.

The wide open landscape allows for a nice and smooth background and while the sandpiper was not on the driver side, I carefully sneaked out of the car and made the click handholding camera and long lens.

Nikon Z6II, Nikon FTZ adapter, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S, Sigma APO Teleconverter 1.4x EX DG,….@ 850 mm, 1/1600 s, f/9, ISO400, slight crop

NATURE CLICKS #557 - HOODED MERGANSER

Hooded Mergansers, Green Island Wetlands, Iowa

I shoot a lot more than what I ever can publish here in my blog. But today I have a photo from a couple weeks ago that I really still like to share with you. Hooded Mergansers form pairs between November and January and after they migrate here from the south there is only a small time window to take a picture of male and female together. They are monogamous but ones the female starts to incubate, the male abandons her. I try it every year, often with mixed success or no results, to make a photo with both birds together. This time a pair of Hooded Mergansers gave me enough time and finally swam to an area at the pond where the background was not too much illuminated but still enough light to make the mergansers stand out. I never see the males during the summer and just wonder if they immediately move south after their part in the breeding process is done?

Nikon Z6II, Nikon FTZ adapter, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S,   @ 600 mm, 1/3200 s, f/8, ISO 800

NATURE CLICKS #549 - ALLEN’S HUMMINGBIRD

Allen’s Hummingbird, San Joaquin Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary, Irvine, California

It wasn’t the first time I had an Allen’s Hummingbird in front of the lens and it was a thrill to find it in both locations this time. The second photo was made mid morning and there was no way to avoid the overcast in the picture. The speed light came to my help for boosting the colors of the feathers and was used as a remedy, with just a little hint of concentrated light.

The image above didn’t need any extra light. The late afternoon sun in the San Joaquin Marsh was all what it took to make the beauty of this hummer shine. With the water below and the other shore of the pond far away, the background was just perfect.

Allen’s Hummingbird, Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve, Huntington Beach, California

NATURE CLICKS #525 - AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN

American White Pelican, Mississippi River, Mud Lake, Iowa

The weather is just right for spending time on the Mississippi River in a kayak during the evenings. A couple days ago I came across this solitary juvenile American White Pelican. Usually a larger group roosts far away, almost on the other side of the river, but this lonely guy was perched on a log right next to the entrance of the marina at Mud Lake. The bird let me come very close but kept an eye on me while I was drifting carefully around it, trying to get the sun behind my back. I shot a lot of pictures with different backgrounds but this photo was my final choice, where good light, background, and gesture of the pelican came all together in the frame.

Nikon Z6II, Nikon FTZ adapter, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S,   @ 600 mm, 1/800 s, f/8, ISO 200

PATIENCE REQUIRED

I don’t think we ever had so many Blue Jays here in our woods during the winter. They are very skittish and avoid being close if they are aware about a person’s presence. The trick to make the click is to stay calm, don’t move much, and just wait until these birds forget about you and come back within reach of the lens. The more difficult part in this process is to get a clean background, without a lot of branches and twigs right behind the bird. We have a lot of trees here and those spots are hard to find. As I said, moving is not an option and patience the only solution…

Nikon Z6II, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S, FTZ adapter, Induro GIT 404XL tripod, Induro GHB2 gimbal head,   @ 600 mm, 1/200 s, f/8, ISO 400

DEPTH OF FOCUS AGAIN

Northern Leopard Frog, Mississippi River, Mud Lake, Iowa

Here is another photo where the decision about the depth of focus (or depth of field, whatever you prefer) had an impact how this Northern Leopard Frog can be presented in its natural habitat. As you can see (without seeing me 😉), I was flat on the ground to be on eye level with the critter. You may also realize that the background is very busy and not very flattering. I started shooting with f/8 to have a little more than just the area around the eye in real sharp focus, but the clutter with sharp contours in the background killed the picture. The frog with its pattern did not stand out enough. The final photo was shot with f/4. Still not a great background but it is at least out of focus, much softer, and the Leopard Frog with its wonderful eye had a chance to shine.

Nikon D750, Nikkor 70-200mm / f4,   @190 mm, 1/1250 s, f/4, ISO400

SPIDER AFTER THE RAIN

This big spider wove its web between one of the bird boxes and the ferns and flowers below in our front yard. After a rainy night in late August I found the web full of water droplets and thought this was an interesting subject to photograph. While approaching the web with the 150 mm macro lens on camera, the nest started to vibrate a little and the spider came suddenly out of the bird box, and tried to find out if someone fell victim in his artfully designed web.

In order to have sharpness for both, the water droplets and the spider, I closed the lens down to f/8. Because I was really close the depth of focus was only 10 mm, less than half an inch, and the background remained still nicely blurred.

Nikon D750, Sigma 150mm / f2.8 APO EX DG HSM, @1/160 s, f/8, ISO 200,

NATURE CLICKS #490 - LESSER YELLOWLEG

Lesser Yellowleg, Green Island Natuer Preserve, Iowa

My digital photo library reveals that I try to shoot pictures of the Lesser or Greater Yellowlegs since ten years. What many of them have in common is a background consisting of old plant material from the season before, a water surface that reflects gray sky, or just muddy banks and shores. That is all part of the story while these birds use the Mississippi flyway for their migration to the breeding grounds up north in early spring, but it is nevertheless not the most satisfying outcome from a photographer’s standpoint. 

After spending more than six hours in the Green Island Wetlands yesterday, the stars finally lined up and a couple Lesser Yellowlegs finally hit the shore and started feeding. The perfect moment for a photo comes when they take a short break. This log in the water was a great spot for the bird to look out for food and for me it was the setting I was hoping for since a long time.

Sandpipers are not always easy to identify but the Yellowlegs, the ‘Lesser” as much as the ‘Greater’, have their trademark, the yellow legs. Having the legs in the picture is a good part of the storytelling. The dark log and the water in the background made them standing out. Can’t ask for much more…

IT’S ALL ABOUT THE BACKGROUND (AGAIN)

Greater Sandhill Cranes, Mississippi Valley, Green Island Wetlands

Who can blame me? The transition between winter and spring is the most exciting time of the year for a lot of nature lovers and photographers. For the third weekend in a row I went back to one of my favorite wildlife spots in the area, the Green Island Preserve wetland area, about 40 miles south and part of the ecosystem of the Mississippi River. It was not as busy with ducks and geese as last weekend, but still a great place to enjoy wildlife, chase the light for a good image, or just inhale the sounds and moods of the season.

After trying hard on a pair of Sand Hill Cranes without an image even worth to mention, another pair of cranes gave me later finally quite a good display. The challenge in spring is always finding a good background. The cranes forage not so much in the water but in the marshes and probe with their long bills in the mud between reeds and grasses from last year. In addition the access to the Green Island marshes and lakes is almost everywhere from a slightly elevated position, on top of a dyke or the road. This makes the lens pointing towards the ground even if it is only a slight angle.

So, what’s different with today’s photo? The Sandhill Cranes were on top of a dyke. I was in the car on the road and a body of water between me and the birds. With other words we were on the same eye level. The area behind the cranes is lakes, marshland, more dykes, and flat overall. The trees in the back are about two miles away and border the Mississippi River. This is the kind of background I like to have. It gives a sense of location and even the grasses around the cranes become part of the story and leave no doubt about what time of the year the photo was taken. I wish the cranes would feed more often on top of the dykes…😉

THE FERAL HORSES

Feral horses, South Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota

While driving on the Scenic Loop Drive in the South Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park many visitors try to see the feral horses that live in the park. Sometimes you can watch quite a few of them and sometimes you may not be lucky at all. We spent a little time with parts of the herd again this year. Feral horses are fun to watch and there is a good chance you get carried away and make way too many clicks (oh, is there such a thing like too many clicks…? 😉).

Of course you make your safety shots that will serve as a memory, but you want to make that picture that sets it apart from the rest. I’m talking about the photo that includes a nice gesture, a background that tells the story about location, and maybe a soft light, which is not always guaranteed. The horses often stood very close together and that’s nice, but I tried to find a position with the camera where I could separate individual animals, or like in this photo a foal with its mother.

Nikon D750, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S, Induro GIT 404XL tripod, Induro GHB2 gimbal head,    @600 mm, 1/1600 s, f/6.3, ISO400

NATURE CLICKS #383 - ORANGE SULPHUR

An Orange Sulphur on a blooming Alfalfa plant is something pretty common here in Iowa. In order to make the picture stand out composition and background can’t be neglected. Color contrast helps to make the subject pop but sharpness has to be on the spot, no matter what.

Nikon D750, Sigma 150mm / f2.8 APO EX DG HSM, @ 1/4000s, f/4, ISO200

THE DOG, A SORA, AND HARSH LIGHT

Sora, Green Island Wetlands, Mississippi River, Iowa

Yesterday Joan and I went on a “Sunday cruise” along the Mississippi by car and ended up checking all the known locations in the Green Island Wetlands that have led to some wildlife photography in the past. At the end of a short hike on one of the levees our little dog Cooper started barking and ran down to the water. First we thought a muskrat had triggered his instincts, since he usually ignores all the birds, but then we saw a Sora foraging on top of the driftwood and between the old reeds. We called him back immediately. It was the same spot in the wetlands where I had photographed this species last year after another photographer had made me aware of it. A little later we saw finally a second bird.

A look at the range map in my bird guides reveals that the Sora is widely distributed and is the most common rail in North America. The Green Island Wetlands are about at the southern border of their summer range.

It wasn’t an easy process to make this photo. I was shooting against the sun and all the reflections on the water made it a challenge to deal with exposure. The Sora moves fast while searching for food between the floating vegetation and quite often old stalks were in the way for a clean shot. The background is not very nice but it is it’s natural habitat. Last year I watched the Sora while it was raining and thought that was not easy. Well, I take the rain any time over the harsh light from last Sunday…